Arches National Park

After climbing the Wilson Arch, we decided to stop at the Arches National Park and drive up to see all the arches and formations. It was very cool and we all enjoyed it. There were many trails to hike, but with the kids (especially Mason) we didn't think that was a good idea. So we just drove up and stopped at the look out points to see the formations more clearly. If we go again, I think it would be fun to hike some of the trails. Here are some of the formations we thought were interesting.


Park Avenue

The Three Gossips

Mason (Pretend) Driving

Sheep Rock

Balanced Rock

Delicate Arch

21 of 52

While we were in Utah last week, we got to visit with my Mom's Dad, Ed. He has never met my sons, so it was fun to see him and visit for a little while. He didn't really want to take a picture, but I insisted on having a 4 generation picture since we were all together. This was taken on Sunday.

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Are you the Mom who's always taking pictures and look back only to realize you aren't IN any of them? Do your kids look through photo albums and ask "Where were you Mommy?" Well, Carin over at Forever in Blue Jeans decided to change all that and challenges any one who's interested to do the same. So hand over the camera, or at least figure out the self-timer and get on the other side of the lens more often. Post your photos of you enjoying time with your family every Thursday and share the link with other Mom's by posting it on Carin's blog. You can start any time with week 1 of 52, don't worry about being "behind" just jump on in.

Wilson Arch

Friday, the 17th, on the way to Salt Lake, we stopped to the climb the Wilson Arch. Wilso Arch is a natural rock formation of an arch named after a pioneer who lived near by in a cabin. Zander absolutely loved it. Taylor made it to the top, while Zander and I lagged behind, making it about 20 feet from the top. The last few rocks were very slick and I didn't want him and I to come tumbling down, so we stopped despite his desire to continue climbing. Mimi and Mason stayed safely at the bottom and watched. It was fun to climb the rocks and enjoy the beauty of our earth.

Photo Editing - Day 5 Textures

On day 5, I learned how to add textures over photos to give them a worn or grungy look. I choose this picture of my cousin's hair on her wedding day. This is my favorite edit from the class. I love how it made the picture look old and worn. It was perfect for this picture because she was dressed in vintage style clothes for her wedding.

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Friday Travels - 20 of 52

Friday was our third day on the road to Salt Lake City. We stayed the night in a Days Inn the night before. They had an indoor pool that we went to before going to bed. The boys enjoyed that after our long ride in the car. There was a Temple right behind our hotel, so we went there and took a couple of pictures before really getting on the road. We took a couple of detours along the way again, the pictures below are from a rock called Church Rock. We stopped and took some pictures there and some other places that I will post about later.

Taylor, Mom, & I before leaving the Hotel on Thursday

Taylor & I at the Monticello Temple

Mom & Taylor @ the Monticello Temple

Mom & Talyor in front of Church Rock

Me stealing a kiss from Zander in front of Church Rock

Four Corners

On Thursday, we left Santa Rosa, NM about 10 am and got to Montecillo, UT around 8 pm. Along the way, we stopped at the Four Corners. Four Corners is the corner of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. This is the only place in the United States where you can stand in four states at one time. It was a neat place to stop and stretch our legs. There are little craft shops all around that we prosed in after taking pictures. We all got a necklace, and Zander got a flute made out of Bamboo. We all enjoyed it and now we can say we've been in 4 states at one time!

Taylor, Me, Zander, & Mason in 4 States

Taylor, Mom, Zander & Mason on the 4 Corners

Zander's the King of the World!

The King & Taylor

The 5 of us together at 4 Corners

Photo Editing- Day 4

Clip Masking. I learned this technique from a tutorial on iHeartFaces. So, this was not a new one for me. But, I do love using this and it is always fun to add some texture to the edges of your pictures. Here is my edit for Day 4, Clip Masking.

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Photo Editing - Day 3

Vintage and Hand Tinting Technique. This is supposed to add a soft, antique feel to the photo. I couldn't find a picture that I thought would be really great for this technique, but I chose a picture and learned the technique. I changed the lighting, and added some color to Zander's lips and checks. Then I added a little sparkle to his eyes and a frame. I'm not sure I like this one, it might have been better if I had a different picture to work with. I'll have to search for a better picture to try this on and do it again. It was fun to see what you can do and look at her samples, though.

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Photo Editing - Day 2 Brushes

Day 2 I learned how to download and use new brushes. Basically the brushes are used like stamps to add a little fun to your pictures. This was something new to me. Believe it or not, there are lots and lots of brushes online that you can download to use on your pictures. I think this will be a fun new technique for me to use. Check out my assignment picture for Day 2.

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19 of 52

Here we are. We made it to Santa Rose, NM in about 10 hours. The kids were very good, no whinning or crying the whole way! I took some pictures of us in the car. This is me in the rear view mirror from the drivers seat, than there are some pictures of the kids and me in the back. We are hoping to make it to at least Moab, Utah tomorrow. We'll see. I'll try to keep you updated! Happy Travels!

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Are you the Mom who's always taking pictures and look back only to realize you aren't IN any of them? Do your kids look through photo albums and ask "Where were you Mommy?" Well, Carin over at Forever in Blue Jeans decided to change all that and challenges any one who's interested to do the same. So hand over the camera, or at least figure out the self-timer and get on the other side of the lens more often. Post your photos of you enjoying time with your family every Thursday and share the link with other Mom's by posting it on Carin's blog. You can start any time with week 1 of 52, don't worry about being "behind" just jump on in.

Heading North

I will be taking a two week trip to Utah and Idaho for my brother's graduation. I'm looking forward to visiting with friends and family, but not to the driving. My Mom and sister will be going along with, so hopefully between the three of us, we can keep the kids entertained along the way. I have all my bags packed and will be leaving tomorrow morning. I will try to keep the blog updated, but I'm not promising anything :) Wish me luck!!

Photo Editing Class - Day 1

I signed up to take a free online course for photo editing at JessicaSprague.com. While I am gone, I have set up posts to show you what I've learned. Some of the stuff, I already knew, but I did learn a lot of helpful tips and some new techniques.

On the first day, I learned how to add PNG frames and word art. A very simple and easy change to add to any photo. I used this picture of Mason and added the frame and word art. I just used the word art she provided us, so it isn't the most appropriate word for the picture, but it was just for a learning experience. I'll have to find some more word art and frames to download that will match my pictures better.

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a great fourth of July! We spent the day at the lake on the boat and playing in the water. Jason & I got a tube for the boat. Taylor, Jason & I all took a turn on it and had a blast. Zander played on the shore for a little while. He enjoyed splashing in the water and throwing the muddy sand. After going home to eat and take naps, we headed to the fireworks with Papa. Zander loved them. He only liked the ones that made load noise, though. All the others were "broken," according to Zander. All in all it was a fun day. Hope you all had a fun 4th too!

18 of 52

This week I have two pictures from the fourth of July to share. They are both of me and my son Mason. We all had a great time that day, more details later.


Watching the fireworks

Riding on the boat

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Are you the Mom who's always taking pictures and look back only to realize you aren't IN any of them? Do your kids look through photo albums and ask "Where were you Mommy?" Well, Carin over at Forever in Blue Jeans decided to change all that and challenges any one who's interested to do the same. So hand over the camera, or at least figure out the self-timer and get on the other side of the lens more often. Post your photos of you enjoying time with your family every Thursday and share the link with other Mom's by posting it on Carin's blog. You can start any time with week 1 of 52, don't worry about being "behind" just jump on in.